Not Quite Menswear Inspired

Sweater: Ease by Alicia Plummer; madelinetosh dk twist in duchess; my very few notes and modifications on In The Red
Skirt: J. Crew; similar styles by Joie, Brooks Brothers, and a different version from J. Crew
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs; same boot with a smaller heel and other options from Leon Max and Proenza Schouler
Lips: Yves Saint Laurent Volupte tint-in-oil in Cherry My Cherie

Why yes, it is time for another haircut. That will be happening next Friday. In the meantime, it is taking all of my self-control not to absolutely destroy my shoe collection by wearing it in this winter. I've been relying on my casual boots for far too long, which is why despite a forecast that may briefly catch me out in these boots, I had to wear something prettier today. This is also the first day in quite a long time that I felt like doing my hair, so obviously that required memorializing.

There is a little bit of thought that goes into photo days. Do I have enough brain power to coordinate an outfit? I mean I am invariably running behind in the morning and throwing a dress over my head is the easy way out. Does this sweater match these shoes? This is an important one. It was enough of a mental hurdle to pair navy tights with the black and oxblood booties, but ad I worn the original sweater I had wanted, my West End Girl, it would have definitely been a bridge to far. And while my Carrie would have been perfect and perfectly uncomplicated with the rest of this outfit, I did just wear it. I might actually be boring in real life, but on the internet I can totally pretend I'm interesting. Thanks for enabling that.

So what I like about this outfit: I adore pinstripes. I wish I had a closet full of pinstriped things. I like pinstripes so much that I once bought palazzo pants in pinstripe. Ask me how many times I wore those? The answer is once. Remember Madonna's Jean Paul Gautier menswear moment? I kind of want that all the time in my closet (and just for the day, some straighter hips so that pants look amazing on me). So when I saw this pinstriped skirt on sale for about 30 bucks, I jumped on it. Since navy is a total neutral it looks great with all my sweaters, even the aforementioned hot pink one. As for booties, I feel as though the 2014-2015 winter has been all about booties for me. I never gave them much thought before, but I aquired two pair this year and have trotted out my old dark brown pair far more often than in previous years; I am on the lookout for a gently used pair of Celine booties from two seasons ago to round out the category.

And you know how I said I was cutting my hair? I still am, but for reasons passing understanding my hair has looked pretty good all day long. Which is a rarity. I have this one really good pic of my hair shorter from a couple of years ago and I am definitely bringing it to my hairdresser,

but I'm also strangely happy with its current length (the bangs obviously need trimming and by someone who isn't me - though in fairness they turned out way less terribly than I had feared). The only issue is the massive dry, gross split ends that make me think I should just shave my head and start from scratch #woecake.

Same Same But Different

Sweater: Josefin by Elin Berglund; madelinetosh sport in moorland; my notes and modifications on Wood Nymph
Skirt: Alice + Olivia olive suede pleated skirt; similar styles and/or colors by Halston Heritage, Belstaff which I am deeply coveting, Torn by Ronny Kobo on final sale, and Rebecca Minkoff
Blazer: Jack Wills Austerberry blazer (very on sale!); similar styles at Ralph Lauren and Loft
Shoes: Maiden Lane leopard calf hair pumps; similar styles by Charles Jourdan, Oscar de la Renta, and Dune London
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

Perhaps it's that I fell asleep reading my new copy of Knitsonik Stranded Colorwork Sourcebook, but I woke up with a desire to wear many similar, yet different things to see how they worked together. I've also been meaning to wear this sweater for several weeks now - I really like it and it really doesn't get worn a lot. In light of my massive sweater clean out, I figure I should wear the sweaters I love! Sorry, raglans, many of you are going to go live with other people (it's funny, though, because I have a design idea that is really going to work better with a raglan sleeve and I have to come to terms with the fact I might not be the eventual model - I smell something for a certain Vanessa...). I love love love this Alice + Olivia skirt - so much that I own it in another color. Sadly, there is something faulty with the zipper which I am pretty certain my shoemaker didn't actually fix when I brought it to him leading me to believe it is time -sigh- to find another shoemaker. Eff you, suburbs, you are absolutely the worst for finding remotely decent dry cleaning, tailoring, and shoe repair; three things I find only second in importance to grocery stores which I will grudgingly admit Greenwich spoils me for choice (though the new Citarella could open already, I am tired of waiting).

It's been a post-holiday season of shopping and returning and not-shopping. One thing I have not shopped for, but urge you to shop for, is this blazer. I own it in four colors. That is not a joke. Perhaps this was a mistake, but I love them and I find them stylized without being over the top. I have also not shopped for an upgrade to these shoes. A couple pair of the high-end leopard shoes went on sale and sold out and I didn't consider them. These cheap shoes are totally not bad. I'm glad I didn't spend over $100 for them, but they're absolutely fine. And I would certainly consider another pair from Gilt at a similarly not over $100 price. Especially for something a little silly like leopard pumps.

Finally, something weird has happened to my skin, in that when I bought this lipstick, I liked it for half a minute and then hated it. Now I love it. I don't know if I'm applying it with a lighter hand, or if the color of my skin is different, but I don't feel like a juggalo when wearing it and that is ALWAYS a good thing.

Oh, and while I did go to VKLive this weekend, obviously I took no pictures because I am terrible and because I seem to have terrible handshake with the cameraphone that just makes me feel old (also I really, truly thought that handshake would go away when smoking went away - add that to the list of things quitting smoking was supposed to accomplish but didn't - thank goodness I love all this extra weight to keep me warm).

Other Things I'm Not Good At

Sweater: owls by Kate Davies; malabrigo chunky in polvoriento; my notes and modifications onf Tee-hee Hooters
Dress: Brooks Brothers blackwatch plaid shirtdress (still available in sizes 8 and 12); similar styles at The Gap, Forever 21, and Ralph Lauren (and boy do I love it styled with that leather jacket)
Shoes: Prada green leather loafers (seriously these are an amazing deal for the lady with the size 8.5 foot); similar styles by Chie Mihara (love that heel), Tory Burch, and Sonia Rykiel
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper (I've been really into this color this winter)

I was already late getting out of the house this morning. It's cold and I knew the shirtdress alone wasn't going to cut it. I know, I said, I'll do that adorable thing where you put the sweater over the dress with the collar sticking out. You know, this. Here are the sweaters I attempted to make work: Harrogate, the above referenced Chuck, Happy, Josefin, and then I went to cardigans, Aidez, Darling Emma, Moody, before deciding that my Owls sweater was the least crappy. I do not know why this look does not work on me. The problems are manifold: the collar never stays in place and the dress or shirt underneath constantly rides up with basic movement; often the back of the collar gets swallowed by the back of the sweater; the shoulders never fit right and there's either too much or too little room in the armpits; the length is never right and it looks as though I just didn't care enough to get dressed like a grownup. This is really really sad for me because I would love to rock this look. Layering is cool as well as really smart for crappy weather, but any time I have ever tried any from of layering, I just feel as though I would have looked better had I not tried so hard.

On the other hand, I've really embraced the shirtdress this year. I think I've purchased 5 in the past 18 months having not had one at all since the 8th grade. Some of them are, as my husband will tell you, too short to be worn, but he's kind of conservative and it's why god invented opaque tights. This one from Brooks Brothers was an especial coup as it had been so popular they had to do a second run and I still waited for it to go on sale (please don't ask me why I thought $98 was too much for this rather well made dress, but I did, and I persevered). Blackwatch is likely my favorite of the plaids and while there was an AMAZING Ralph Lauren silk chiffon blackwatch plaid dress with a peter pan collar that I was very smitten with, it was much more expensive and it sold out before I had a chance to nab a sale one. I like the shirtdress because it is the very definition of a double duty piece (do you ever notice a trend with me?). I originally had this dress on with my Frye boots in brown when, of all people, my husband said it would be better with either Mary Janes or loafers. So, I kid you not, I tried on two colors of Mary Janes (both not quite right according to the mister) and then these loafers, before considering the outfit done.

I'm wondering now if I'm one of those people they make the afterthought collar necklaces for: all the fun of a visible collar, none of the constant readjusting.

Take Your Breton To Work Day

Sweater: Better Breton by me; wollmeise dk in natur and admiral
Skirt: J. Crew; similar styles at ASOSs, H&M, and bcbg
Shoes: Tabitha Simmons Lou leather pumps and there are a couple sizes left in this amazing sale; similar styles by Kate Spade and Sam Edelman
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

In light of my full-on sadface vis a vis the Grandpa Cardigan, I wanted to use a counter example to show why my sweaters need to perform double duty. Monday through Firday I work in an office. It's not overly formal, in fact I think I am dressed far more formally than many of my coworkers, but chalk it up to a conservative upbringing when it comes to comportment (on all other things, I am pretty sure my upbringing was pretty standard commie, pinko, UES, ACLU, NYT, ADL); Saturday and Sunday I am either not leaving my house except for groceries, or out seeing friends, maybe going out to dinner. And if I'm sitting in my house with no one but my husband to see me, I don't really need a wardrobe for that. Which is why my wardrobe is predominantly business casual. I have recently been adding to my jeans collection (thank you, sales), but when I think about knitting a sweater, I always think about how it will look at work and on line at the Whole Foods - because I am very vain and need to make sure the other insufferable yuppies aren't judging me on my clothing choices while I judge them on their carts full of frozen organic meals.

But where does a Breton-style sweater fit into that? It is a decidedly casual piece and is evocative of people not at work: people at cafes in France on vacation, drinking strong coffee and smoking strong cigarettes, and definitely unconcerned with formal dress. Yet it's also a navy and white sweater and navy and white are perfectly lovely, boring work colors. Ask me how I know.

I originally paired the sweater with a highly patriotic red skirt and while I wasn't turned off by the Happy 4th of July-ness of it all, the skirt is too big by a fair bit and looks sloppy when it hangs on my hips instead of on my waist, and it also made it a bit too long on my legs. So out comes the old faithful J Crew chartreuse mini, the navy tights, and the brand spanking new navy pumps. This last choice was probably a poor one as the amount of salt dumped in my office parking lot is dangerous to all but the most LL Bean-ish of footwear. I almost went with a navy blazer as well, but I thought that might be a) overkill and b) ill-fitting - this sweater is a bit too ease-y to happily live beneath a tailored blazer.

Red lips were an easy choice.

Red and Green

Sweater: Vivian by Ysolda Teague; madelinetosh erin in tart; my notes and modifications on The Misty/Kerri Fangirl Sweater
Skirt: Vintage Burberry; similar styles by Zac Posen and at Ann Taylor
Shirt (which I don't know if you can see): Everlane
Shoes: Prada and if you're a size 8 1/2, we can be complete twinsies!; similar styles by Chie Mihara and Tory Burch
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

Merry Christmas, everyone! As an adult adopter of this holiday, I feel comfortable wishing people of all beliefs a Merry Christmas as I have determined that it is incredibly easy to overlook all religious significance, if one so chooses, to focus on the more universal peace on earth, goodwill towards men part. Christmas owns! My sad menorah just looks lackluster next to our awesome festive tree. Since I get all misty at this time of year, I have included, for my nostalgia and your amusement, the poem recited at my school for our holiday celebration - which was 100% pagan and amazing - at the end of this post. If I could convince my husband to celebrate a Very Druid Winter Festival each year I would, but Christmas makes an excellent runner-up.

I don't know why I haven't bothered to make another Vivian; or rather finish another Vivian. Because of my many WIPs is a lovely eventual Vivian. I love this sweater despite the pattern's problems (you will never manage to get the sleeves right without divine intervention or the mother of all blockings). I don't mind wearing it with work clothing, and it's perfect with jeans For the record: had I not managed to arse up putting buttons on my Grandpa cardigan, I would have shown it off for this post, but come to think of it, it looked terrible with a skirt and only good with jeans which, yet again, is a reminder that Yelena + cardigans does not equal a marriage made in heaven.

The skirt and shoes are new additions to the wardrobe and both are delightful deals. The skirt I found by following a pinterest link of a gorgeous vintage dress. While poking around on the site, Hemlock Vintage, I found the skirt for about $50 and immediately snapped it up because I love a good tweed. The shoes are from my new favorite obsession, The Real Real, an online consignment shop that puts ebay to shame. So far, I have purchased two pair of shoes from them at outrageous markdown and they both have arrived looking barely worn. Highly recommend. Unless you are trying to save your pennies, in which case run.

I figure everyone will be busy these next two weeks with holiday frolicking, so I won't bore you with posts until the new year (at which point the grandpa button problem ought to have been solved). Whatever you are celebrating, may it be happy and healthy, and thank you so much for reading.

The Candlelighting Poem by Nancy Cardoza (who, coincidentally, passed away this year at the age of 94)

In the season of the sun's rebirth
on the eve of the winter solstice
I consecrate this house
with light.

Build your house upon the Hill of Truth
and may the cornerstone be clean of ornament
that it give a strong foundation to the walls.

Even as the Doorway of the Dawn,
may your doorway be beautiful
that the angels of Starlight and Sunlight
may enter thereunder with spread wings.

And may the light of your window be wide
for the wisdom of the soul abides
in the mansions of the sky.

May the roof of your dwelling be Love;
the Sentinel, the wing of the Archangel
the Great Fire.

The winter solstice is holy with candles
which are bright
as the fruit of the holly
or as children's prayers,
for in the light of little things
the soul has its dawning
and is reborn.

*

Metal, right?

If You Have To Dry The Dishes...

Sweater: Nora Sweater by Linda Marveng; Polo & Co Masgot Fine in gres; my notes and modifications on "Distaff"
Skirt: J. Crew; similar styles by Line and Dot, Joseph, and if you're one of the sizes left, on supersale at ASOS
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik Carolyne; similar styles by bcbgmaxazria and Brooks Brothers
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

"If you have to dry the dishes
(Such an awful boring chore)
If you have to dry the dishes
('Stead of going to the store)
If you have to dry the dishes
And you drop one on the floor
Maybe they won't let you
Dry the dishes anymore"

This is what happens when it's 8:10 in the morning and I ask my husband to shoot a couple of photos. Now some would say that it's love: the man adores me even when I give him the double finger and stick my tongue out, but in reviewing the 20 or so completely unusable shots, I think it's more a case of dropping dishes on the floor.

Over on the Yarniacs board on ravelry, there has recently been some discussion of how many sweaters people have knit and if there is a limit to how many one can reasonably keep track of in one's wardrobe. I have a frightening number of sweaters, but every so often I reevaluate their utility in my wardrobe. Maybe my taste has changed, maybe something that didn't bother me at first, now bothers me, maybe I've decided I can't really wear a certain color, or maybe I just look at a sweater, realize it doesn't get enough wear as it ought to, and consign it to the outgoing pile. This morning I was all set to wear a different sweater. I tried it on, it went well with the skirt, but something about the neck wasn't right and I knew it was going to bother me. My helpful husband said it looked like I was wearing it backwards (I wasn't) but I tried it on backwards just to see. Nope, something about me and the sweater no longer clicked. I generally throw them up on ravelry for sale for the cost of the yarn, because clearing out my closets in that way assuages potential guilt over new yarn purchases. It also allows me to look at sweaters like the one I ended up wearing and identifying what it is I like about them.

I like this sweater because it is both really busy and yet really refined. The combination of the light fingering yarn and the neutral color make the complex design work in my wardrobe. If I had knit this in red, a color I adore, it wouldn't have been the same. For a piece like this to end up in my rotation, it had to be a neutral, and I really love it. As you can see, I did very little other styling - everything else is simple so that the sweater can steal the show. I wore a similar outfit yesterday with a navy skirt, nude shoes, and a pink cabled sweater with a peplum - I'll wear it again before sweater season is over and get a photo for you.

The eagle-eyed among you will notice something unusual about the outfit in the footwear department: these shoes seem rather sedate for me. You're not wrong. This style, the Carolyne, has been around for years and I would never have considered buying a pair (I thought them a little dowdy); however, when one finds a pair on ebay for 1/10 the retail price and in one's size, well, it seems somehow wrong not to at least give them a try. And you know what? They're ok. They're not my favorites, but they are such a staple and as soon as the shoemaker fixes the tension on the slingback (when you have a foot as large as mine, shoe manufacturers also seem to believe you have barrels for ankles and make the straps WAY WAY WAY too big), they will get tons more wear. And one day, I might want to rock the dowdy look...

Last Minute Substitution

Sweater: Harrogate by Amy Herzong; elsa wool woolen-spun worsted in white; my notes and modifications on Chalybs
Skirt: Alice + Olivia Milo suede skirt; similar styles by Forever 21, bcbgeneration, and Red Valentino
Blazer: Smythe wool blazer; similar colors (the funky shoulder thing makes the style pretty unique) by Calvin Klein and A.L.C. (and this looks like a pretty good deal if you're in the market)
Shoes: Gucci crocodile peep toes; similar styles by Ivanka Trump, Gucci (with logo), and Ted Baker
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper
Nails: Essie in chinchilly with matte topcoat (thanks, pinterest)

Today's post was going to be amazing. I was going to have a new sweater, a new skirt, and new shoes. I was going to be a newness cavalcade. And everything was going to match amazingly well: the nails match both colors in the sweater and skirt, the lips match a color in the skirt, the new shoes likewise. I was going to look like the kind of adult who has her shit together, even if she can't manage to book a haircut (Saturday, it's happening, for seriouses). This plan was totally in effect until 10:15 last night. It was just me, ESPN's 30 for 30 on the Leonard/Duran matchup, and a mere 3" left to go on the turtleneck part of the test knit I'm doing When I looked down at the turtleneck, however, I noticed something very upsetting: somewhere around 3" into it, I had messed up a total of 6 stitches of broken rib. I knit two more rounds attempting to ignore it. Then I realized that since the mistake was on the front of the sweater, it had to be rectified. So I inserted another needle into those 6 stitches before the mistake an unraveled everything above, assuming I could just use a trusty crochet hook to right the wrong. Which I could, but not without mountains of extra yarn and super loose stitches - a phenomenon I can't quite grok, but one which made the time I took to fix the problem (and it took me several tries because I kept missing a row somewhere) completely and utterly wasted. I had to admit defeat. 4" of turtleneck will have to be ripped out. And while there are some souls who, at 11pm can power through, I am not one of those souls. I need a tremendous amount of beauty sleep to emerge even somewhat human. I will very much attempt to finish today so that tomorrow or Wednesday I can show off.

Which brings us to today's outfit. A great number of my Rhinebeck friends sprinted to, and loaded up on, cormo wool, and who can blame them. The stuff is really really soft, makes great cables, and likely has curative powers (the last one is a joke). I know this because I was fortunate enough to make this sweater from cormo wool earlier in the year and simply adore it. I loved Amy's choice of cables too. What I didn't love, was the idea of knitting this in pieces from the bottom up. So I spent some time with notebook and pen to make this sweater top-down and in the round. A surprisingly simple feat, by the way. It's just a question of being able to read numbers backwards. I also think that I might have decided that in the cable vs. lace wars, I come down on the side of cables. This weekend, I tried to wear one of my sweaters with lace and I just don't love feeling that I ought to wear a camisole underneath. Also, those holes in the fabric make me cold. So this warm, cozy, cabled sweater is something I need more of.

The skirt is one of my infamous buy-the-same-thing-in-more-than-one-color purchases. I also have this skirt in army green. I waited until both went on 75% sale and, as a result feel very good about myself when I wear them. The blazer is another sale-stalked item. Smythe is a Canadian company that saw its desireability skyrocket after Duchess Kate wore one of its blue blazers. I originally saw this blazer in a photo spread in InStyle magazine (2011 I think) and ripped the page out to stare at because it was so so cool. It was also so so $700. It is true that I saw the blazer in person at Saks with my dad during the post-Christmas sale that year, but it was still $350 and I wasn't in a position to spend that kind of money that year (we had sort of just blown all our money on a three-week honeymoon). I did, however, ascertain what size I was (and nota bene to anyone who ever wants to purchase a Smythe blazer - they run INCREDIBLY small. I wear a size up from what I would wear (I know this from dress-up, not from purchases) in couture clothing which is 2 sizes up from what I wear at The Gap). About two weeks later, I was looking at the next round of holiday markdowns when I saw that the previously sold-out blazer was back in stock at Bergdorf's (I love you, returns) and for less than $200. Sign from the shopping gods to be certain. Signed, sealed, delivered, and I haven't regretted it a single day. It is amazingly well made. The fabric is of such terrific quality, the lining is flawless, the cut superb. In other words, Smythe has done enough to make me seriously consider, when and if my finances allow, purchasing their goods at full price. The difference between this blazer I got on sale for about $200 and the blazer I'd pay $200 for full-price at J.Crew is like the difference between the chicken you lovingly roast in your house and a mcnugget. Which is my long way of saying (again) that quality is worth the price in instances where the buyer can reasonably afford it; and that it might be worth having only one blazer you paid $400 for vs. 4 $100 blazers.

Finally, I'd like the thank pinterest for my nails. I saw this pop up on my feed last week, taking the beloved Essie color chinchilly and finishing it with a matte top coat. As both items were already in my house, this seemed a no brainer. I did a kind of crappy job, but I like the idea of this and look to incorporate the matte topcoat more this year.

Help Wanted

Sweater: Girl on Fire by Mary Annarella; Astral Bath Yarns Spectra DK in Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash; my notes and modifications on Scuttlebutt
Skirt: Boden wool a-line skirt, same style in cotton, similar style from The Gap, and wool pencil skirts abound at pretty much every store I looked at
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; similar styles range from the pricey Jimmy Choo, to the moderate Pour La Victoire, to the very much on sale AK Anne Klein
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

So first can we all just agree to ignore how blurry this photo is? Mary's lovely design barely shows up, but exactly 0% of the photos I shot this morning weren't blurry and I needed to get out the door - something I will have to take a look at since I have recently switched to my prime lens so that I can get crisper shots.

I'm sure you can agree that there's something missing from this outfit. It's kind of dull. Part of that is the fault of the wearer who, rather uncreatively matched her shoes to her sweater, but part of it is also the less fleeting problem which is that the wearer can't accessorize worth poop. I know that this outfit needs a something, I just don't know what that something is. And I'll explain my thought process so that you can help me better:

The neckline is a bit unique and lovely, therefore I feel like a necklace would detract.
Ditto a scarf.
The sleeves are long which, in my mind, makes the idea of a bracelet kind of silly.
Ditto a watch, were I to a) own a watch other than this one (ok, that's crazypants. I just went to go find my watch which I admittedly received as an 18th birthday present/graduation present from my best friend, but which I was sure was timeless enough to still be in the Tiffany & Co. collection. Nope. In fact there isn't a watch within nearly $2000 of what this watch cost available at Tiffany's anymore. If you want a Tiffany watch (which I assure you, you do not, the ones on the website are kind of uniformly hideous), you are going to be out $2350 - it's a small gold rimmed circular face with a black leather band) and b) have batteries in that watch
I really don't wear earrings other than my studs.
A hat?
A boa?
A fascinator?

This is what runs through my head as I am lamenting my crappy hair and inability to evenly color within the lines of my own lips in the morning. I always feared being ungapatchka.

What's that, you say, you don't know what ungaptachka means? Let's start with pronunciation, or at least what passes for such in the telephone-like atmosphere of Jews 94 generations removed from anyone who actually spoke Yiddish: ooong-gah-potch-ka. Kind of like ooogachaka from Hooked on a Feeling. Same number of syllables too. Try getting that out of your head. Whatever ungapatchka once meant, it was transmitted to me as the condition before Coco Chanel takes off the last thing before leaving the house multiplied by 10. It's being too busy, style-wise. Like, for example, your Miami Beach grandmother who jingles when she walks because she has enough coral bangles to sink a small fishing vessel dangling off her desiccated (from tanning) arm. Ah, memories.

Now that you know a new Yiddish word, I can explain to you that I went in the entirely opposite direction when it came to accessorizing. If less was more, than none was best. Obviously this isn't actually true. But then I go and do a google image search of Angelina Jolie, whose style I both admire and covet (also her hair), and she almost never wears jewelry either, save some earrings with a slight dangle (and believe you me now I'm going to be searching for those and perhaps not wearing my studs every day). So I'll take suggestions, links, commiseration. Because I feel like I look really boring today.

Summer Lovin'

Sweater: Anais by Kim Hargreaves; madelinetosh tosh sport in chamomile (currently out of stock, but carried by Happy Knits); my notes and modifications on "Tournesol"
Dress: Anthropologie Forget-Me-Not Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, dresses from the same designer this season, this Tracy Reese dress (also at Anthropologie) has a similar vibe and is on my personal wishlist
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik, luxe orange sandals by Versace, far more reasonable ones from Ivanka Trump
Toes: Essie Bouncer, It's Me
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

It's full-on summer and I couldn't be happier. Yes, I know when the humidity finally amps up I will complain just as loudly as everyone else, but for the halcyon sunny days before the gross hits, I will be loudly extolling the virtues of hot weather. Hot weather gives you the excuse to paint your toenails blue, wear a yellow cardigan with orange shoes, and pin your hair up in a bun and call it a hairstyle.

If truth be told, this is not my favorite fitting dress from Anthropologie and I am blissfully pleased I got it on super sale last summer. It is, however, a happy summer dress and, for that, I may be inclined to forgive it's somewhat boob-smooshing empire waist. The sweater, though, is a different story. I love this sweater. I love the happy yellow color, I love the pattern, I love the way it fits (though I wish the tops didn't tend to fly open and I've thought of weighting them in an attempt to prevent this. And the shoes. I guess we need to talk about the shoes. They're too big. Which is something I never ever say because my feet are enormous. But these shoes are too big. True, I have yet to see if an insert would fix that, and it might, I'm just bummed that my only orange shoes are not exactly right.

This outfit, overall, is a pretty average representation of how I do sundresses. I wouldn't shrink from wearing this to an office (provided it wasn't a law office or an investment bank) and I'd also wear it on a weekend day when I wasn't going to the beach. Obviously, I give it two thumbs up for vacation evenings!